The Frank Stephenson Collection of Halfcrowns : Signature Sales

The Frank Stephenson Collection of Halfcrowns

Frank was raised in a County Durham pub owned by his parents and it was here that his fascination with coins started. As a small boy, and then a young man, he would examine the contents of the till and remove any coins he liked the look of (sometimes with his parents knowledge) for his collection. Bun head Pennies were still in circulation and he craved those as well as nice condition coins. One of those coins is offered for sale in this collection and that is the 1935 halfcrown that he took from the Royal Oak till in the 60s. A young family and busy life as a coal miner and colliery undermanager meant his hobby was largely forgotten until his retirement.

From 2002 until his death he built an outstanding collection of both Halfcrowns and Pennies with the aid of his son John, who is a coin and medal dealer in the North of England. There is a secondary collection of bronze Farthings and Halfpennies which is largely complete for currency issues, but those denominations were an aside to him.

Franks knowledge and passion for Pennies and Halfcrowns was boundless and his aim was to complete the Halfcrown collection by English Silver Coins reference numbers and the Penny collection with references to both Freeman and Gouby. Quality was always the first choice but rarity often demanded settling for what was available at the time. His great regret was in letting the Colin Adams 1726 halfcrown slip through his hands in the Spink sale that he acquired some of the Charles II halfcrowns from. That date eluded him and should probably be a lesson for all of us that the time to buy 'that coin' is when you see it!

Halfcrown 1925 ESC 772 UNC or near so and nicely toned, the reverse a little weakly struck, nevertheless a most attractive example of this rare date with much eye appeal, Ex-Croydon Coin Auction 10/5/2005 Lot 615

Halfcrown 1878 ESC 701 UNC with good subdued lustre, although many examples have been sold by us in EF grade, our archive database indicates we have only sold one UNC example since 2003, and none in the last 7 years, Ex-Croydon Coin Auction 3/6/2008 Lot 461

Halfcrown 1682 82 over 79 ESC 489B VG with some weakness on the reverse, rated R3 by ESC, Very Rare, our archive database stretching back to 2003 shows this is the first example we have offered, Ex-Warwick and Warwick 16/10/2013 Lot 566

Halfcrown 1698 DECIMO ESC 554 with die clashes REX under the G of GVLIELMVS, 8 and M under GRA, and 6 under the bust, VF or better with old tone and some light haymarks, clear and unusual. EX-Taylors 6/2/2010 Lot 2055

Halfcrown 1861 Fair, one of the 'missing' dates in the Young Head Halfcrown series, mentioned by way of footnote in ESC by Rayner in the 1969 edition who had heard of an example sold in a "Northern" auction in Fair in 1967 for £115. Reported as unrecorded in Royal Mint striking records, more recent opinion is that these are regarded as later forgeries struck around 1887 from worn dies, as the head types are incorrect for the period

Halfcrowns (2) 1671 as ESC 468 with A of MAG overstruck, possibly over an R, VG unlisted as such by ESC or Bull, 1675 ESC 477 About Fine/Fine with some scratches in the obverse field, Ex-Tennants 10/12/2014 Lot 152

Halfcrowns (2) 1689 First Shield, Caul only frosted, with pearls, ESC 505 Fine with some scratches, Ex-Lockdales 24/1/2010 Lot 152, 1689 First Shield, Caul only frosted, with pearls, First V of GVLIELMVS over A (or inverted V) ESC 505A, Fine with a scratch on the reverse

Halfcrowns (2) 1664 Second Bust ESC 460 VG the reverse slightly better, Ex-Croydon Coin Auction 9/5/2006 Lot 260, 1663 XV the V of CAROLVS with a flaw at top right, Fair with some weakness at the centre

Halfcrown 1926 Modified Effigy ESC 774 UNC with a light and colourful tone, the obverse with a few minor contact marks, but overall with much eye appeal and a superior example of this type, Ex-London Coins Auction A110 5/6/2005 Lot 1559 (part)

Halfcrown 1696N small N mintmark First Bust, Small shields, Ordinary Harp, Bull 1084, VG with a scratch on the reverse, the first example of this type we have offered, Ex-Warwick and Warwick 17/10/2012 Lot 303 (part)